Pocketful of Sunshine
by December'sRose
Summary: George Weasley confides in Luna over a few drinks. George/Luna centric. Implied George/Angelina. Post DH one-shot.


Title: Pocketful of Sunshine

Rated T

Summary: George Weasley confides in Luna over a few drinks. George/Luna centric. Implied George/Angelina. Post DH one-shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP. The title comes from a Natasha Bedingfield song.

A/N: I've been an anonymous writer for Harry Potter since I discovered fan fiction in 2001 (I honestly can't believe its been that long already!) but this is the first HP one-shot I've ever had the guts to post up. Of course it had to be a George/Luna type fic, I absolutely adore this pairing. I love them together much more than the idea of George/Angelina. Please review, I really love to know how my readers feel about my work so constructive criticism is adored, and I'd especially like to know if I did alright with this as it is my first real time writing out George Weasley and Luna Lovegood. This one-shot is really a bonding moment between these two characters, with a chance of a _potential_ relationship at the end. Hopefully, I didn't make them too OOC.

_Dedication: For my friend Cindy (Eirwen555) because she was the one who introduced me to the idea of George/Luna a little over a year ago. _

* * *

_Contrary to what the public believed, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes stayed open after the fall of Voldemort and after the Daily Prophet released Fred's obituary. Kind letters from admiring fans as well as endless support from his family convinced George Weasley to keep running the store, his and Fred's dream. Even though Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes would never be the same without Fred in the picture, George knew his twin would have been furious with him had George closed down their shop. It's a family business, Fred would have argued. _

_So, in response to their lack of staff, George employed his brother Ron to help him run things. Ron needed another job anyway to distract him for Hermione had gone off to redo her last year at Hogwarts with Ginny. While Arthur was able to get Harry and Ron part-time jobs at the ministry to start off with, Ron still looked as if he regretted not going back to Hogwarts with his girlfriend. Plus, he had been wanting to earn a bit more than his job at the ministry. _

_The store did as well as ever over the past few months, and its' success reunited them. On an average day of business, George found Angelina Johnson wandering into the shop, a girl he had not heard from since Fred's funeral. He did not know how to respond to her entrance at first, looking at her in surprise as she stood there awkwardly waiting for him to greet her. George and Angelina were indeed friends during their days at Hogwarts but George knew that what she and Fred had was more than 'just a relationship' in the past. Their bond was deep and George couldn't help but feel that Angelina's pain connected with his own. He gathered her into a hug then and Angelina insisted on buying him a drink after his shift so they could catch up. Their conversation was not awkward as George felt it would be…in fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had a few honest laughs with an old friend. _

_Soon afterwards, Angelina began visiting George regularly and their nights out at the pub became traditional. The trouble all began when Angelina once again visited George at work, only this time in tears. He took her upstairs to the flat, telling Ron to keep an eye on things along the way, and comforted her best he could. She cried in his arms, an action that George was used to. Angelina was a tough girl; she didn't break down at the funeral and George sure as hell didn't expect her to break down now. Yet she did, and as Angelina described the pain she felt because of loosing Fred he felt himself shedding a few tears as well._

_If Fred had a final wish, George was positive he would have wanted him to take care of his girl._

_As Angelina's sobs died, George found himself kissing her hair before trailing down until his lips met hers. The kiss was wet and salty but neither seemed to mind. Soon enough, he and Angelina were possessed with lust and the tasks George still had to do downstairs became forgotten._

_The relationship seemed rocky; unstable. George wasn't sure of it himself but Angelina insisted that he'd trust her. What we're doing is not wrong, she had said. Fred would have wanted this for both of us._

_Although, especially now with the massive guilt that was building up in his heart, George wasn't sure what Fred would have wanted anymore. _

A warm introduction was not needed, for Ron had called out to a potential customer who had just entered the store. "Luna!" He exclaimed, abandoning his position at the register. George looked on as Ron approached Luna Lovegood with an affectionate smile.

"Hello Ron," Luna exclaimed brightly as the two exchanged a hug. "I hope you've been doing well?"

"I'll be better once Hermione graduates," Ron replied. "But I've been fine, yeah."

"Oh that's right," Luna nodded. "She went back to Hogwarts with Ginny this year. Ginny mentioned it in some letters." Whereas Ron, Harry, and Hermione had a choice to go back to school or to start working Molly had put her foot down and demanded that her youngest daughter finish her education and her final year, despite Harry and Ginny's pleading.

"I'm actually starting to wish I had gone back myself," Ron admitted, looking regretful as he led Luna over to the side so she wouldn't be in the way of the entrance.

"I was going to go back," Luna began wistfully, "But Daddy needed some help running The Quibbler since most of his workers had quit after the war. Anyway, I've come wondering if you'd have a particular item in stock."

"Well, what is it then?" Ron asked, his voice sounding slightly surprised. From George's knowledge, he could tell that Ron wasn't expecting Luna to actually buy something…that she just came in for a nice reunion and chat like Angelina had done weeks ago. He watched from his place over near the WonderWitch products as Luna pushed a strand of dirty blonde hair from out of her eyes.

"I was actually hoping if you'd have a bottle of Instant Sunshine." She replied. "The people at Zonko's laughed at me when I asked them a few days ago but I really am looking for one."

"Um, well I'm not really sure," Ron told her carefully, now glancing over at his older brother for assistance. George took the hint and started walking towards them.

"Zonko's shouldn't have laughed at you seeing as you were a customer, but you might have better luck finding that product at one of the shops over at Diagon Ally." George said simply as Luna turned to face him. "Perhaps, a potion shop?"

Luna's smile did not appear disappointed but she did look at George rather seriously.

"I see what you mean," She said. "I guess I was thinking that Instant Sunshine would also be considered a prank product, since it's abused as one often."

"Luna, you remember my brother George, right?" Ron asked. "He used to be in DA with us."

"Of course I remember," Luna smiled up at him and George couldn't help but feel a tad guilty because he barely remembered anything about her. Nevertheless, he accepted Luna's handshake. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too," George told her honestly. Besides Angelina, he hadn't heard from many of his old classmates or friends from school. Katie had gone off to join a Quidditch team (George couldn't remember which team but it was still enclosed in an old letter she had sent Angelina) and Alicia had gone off to marry Lee Jordan. Lee had sent George a letter explaining that Alica's parents did not approve of him and the only way that they could get married was if they eloped. Lee apologized for not having a proper wedding, and assured George that if they did have one he would have picked him as the Best Man.

"Can we help you find anything else?" Ron asked her.

"No thank you, but I suppose I could look around a bit. Those Patented Daydream Charms seem tempting…" And without another word, Luna wandered off to the display where the Daydream Charms rested.

"Mr. Weasley?" Both Ron and George looked up but Verity, the young blonde witch who Fred and George first employed when they opened, seemed to be indicating towards George. She held out a piece of folded parchment.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Angelina has just sent you an owl."

George thanked her and took the letter from Verity's small hands.

"I thought you two were meeting up later tonight?" Ron mused before turning his attention towards a customer who had just come up to him ready to purchase. George opened the letter quickly and read its' contents:

_Dear George,_

_I'm being held up at Quidditch practice. I don't have time to Apparate but since we're taking a five minute break I wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be able to meet you at Three Broomsticks tonight. Maybe we'll be able to go sometime later this week._

_Love, Angelina. _

The familiar feeling of guilt rose in his chest again as George stared at the last words. _Love_, Angelina. As unstable as their relationship was George did not dare assure Angelina that he loved her out loud, in fear that Angelina would call him a traitor and leave him. In fear that he would think of himself as a traitor.

Due to the fact that the words were scribbled in a rush, it probably was a slip of the tongue (er, pen) for Angelina had not expressed her love for George out loud yet either. If Fred were alive, he'd probably laugh at the disgruntled look on his twin's face as the guilt nearly suffocated him while George stared at the words _Love_, Angelina. ("You look constipated!" Fred would have snickered.)

"George, are you alright?" George snapped out of his thoughts as Luna appeared next to him. Quickly, he stuffed the letter in his robes and composed himself.

"Fine, just fine." He lied to her, and his guilty conscience laughed at him. Luna held up a charm.

"I've decided to buy one. Hopefully, the daydream will relieve some of my stress when I'm helping Daddy at work. It's been rather hectic lately." Luna said, evenly.

George looked over to see that Ron was busy taking care of a line of customers over by the register.

"Take it," George assured her as Luna reached into her robes and pulled out a small sack of coins. "You don't have to pay."

"Oh no, I couldn't," Luna insisted, trying to pour out the coins but George placed a hand over hers and pushed her money away.

"Yes, you could," George told her firmly. An idea crossed his mind and George felt the guilt snicker at the thought of it. It was obvious that Fred's death was effecting him the most out of his family (though Percy used to argue against this claim since he felt that Fred's death was _his _fault) and when Fred's funeral had been in progression, Ginny had pulled him aside letting him know that he didn't always have to act so tough. It was okay to cry in front of others, nothing good came from bottling up feelings inside your heart.

George hated crying. He always preferred laughing over crying any day, even if the situation at hand called for it. But he forced himself to be as dry as Angelina the day of the funeral, releasing all of his captive tears in private later on that evening.

George hadn't turned to anyone regarding his issues with Angelina. Ron and the rest of his family seemed supportive over this relationship but he hadn't been able to confide in them. He needed to vent out his feelings, he needed some advice.

Ginny always said that Luna Lovegood was one of Ravenclaw's most clever witches, despite everyone calling her Loony. Perhaps it was finally time to act upon impulse.

"Instead of paying in coins, you could pay me back with your company," George told her, smiling. "Join me at Three Broomsticks, later?"

His invitation did not make Luna blush. Instead, Luna smiled another bright smile and nodded. "That sounds delightful." She agreed. "Shall I meet you there after your shift?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay then, I'll be there promptly at 9, when your store closes." Rather than asking Luna how in the world she knew that the store closed at nine, George agreed and bagged up Luna's daydream charm looking forward to later that evening.

---

Ron didn't mind locking up for him and George was grateful for this favor. He was able to Apparate to Three Broomsticks a good five minutes before nine. The pub was not as crowded as he expected it would be. He and Angelina would often meet earlier in the evenings, sometimes around six. George glanced around the pub for a spot, surprised when he noticed Luna Lovegood already sitting over in a booth near the corner with a Butterbeer in hand.

"Hi," George greeted her after giving Madame Rosemerta his order.

"Hello again," Luna said cheerfully. "It was nice of you to invite me out tonight."

"Don't mention it," George took a seat across from Luna. Madame Rosemerta returned with one Butterbeer; the drink warmed him up almost instantly in one sip.

"You seemed very distracted earlier," Luna said slowly. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

_She's very observant,_ George's own mind thought. He replied after taking another sip of his drink.

"Actually, there is something." He admitted. Luna sat up a bit straighter to show that her attention was focused on him. "I was hoping I could ask you for advice."

"What kind of advice?" Luna asked.

"Well," George picked his words carefully. "I'm in a relationship I think I shouldn't be in."

The subject of the discussion made Luna raise an quizzical eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

George took another drink, trying to drown the lump of guilt that was currently climbing up his throat so he wouldn't be able to talk.

"I feel guilty," George finally responded. "Because the girl I'm seeing used to be in love with my twin brother…and my twin brother used to be in love with her."

"And you feel that your twin would be angry with you if he were alive?" There was no hesitation in Luna's question and this surprised him. Usually, relatives and friends were always careful when bringing up Fred's memory. Luna's theory was spot on of course, so he brushed off the surprise as an unfamiliar response.

"Yeah."

"I remember Fred from the DA lessons," Luna continued, finishing off her Butterbeer. "Of course we didn't talk much but he never made fun of me. Once, he even stopped Zacharias Smith from making fun of me because I wasn't getting a spell right."

"Well Smith was, and probably still is, a git," George retorted, trying to recall Luna's memory of Fred and failing; he must have been too preoccupied with a spell or something to be paying attention.

"I understand why you feel guilty," Luna assured him, smiling at his last comment. "But there's really no need to feel so. Both you and this girl are trying to move on, so it's only natural that you console one another. Perhaps this relationship is a way of easing the pain of your loss."

George had to admit, he never thought about it that way. He had heard tons of different theories before. Ginny once told him she thought Angelina was just after George because George was Fred's identical twin. Harry and Ron both agreed with this theory as well. Percy had warned George that Angelina was probably rebounding and to be careful.

He took this theory and thought about it for a moment. Angelina had grown close to him as they spent more time together and George knew that the way he felt about her was mutual. She was always able to tell Fred and George apart based off of their personalities since their looks were identical. When they were intimate, George felt a heated passion and longed to protect her. It seemed like that protecting Angelina was a priority and loving her as Fred once did was his duty.

To his amazement, George felt the guilt inside of him twisting into relief very slowly.

"I keep seeing his face in my dreams," George spoke, uncertainly. "I keep seeing him angry…as if I've betrayed him."

"Do you feel as if you've betrayed him?"

"I…don't know."

"In that case then," Luna continued. "Just as though there's no need to feel guilty there's no need to feel as if you're betraying your brother. I'm sure Fred would have wanted you to be happy."

He nodded, agreeing. Relief began to overpower the guilt and George felt as if a heavy burden was being lifted from his shoulders. His relief must have shown somewhere in his expression for Luna beamed at him.

"Thank you," He told her sincerely as he paid for the drinks. Instead of protesting his kind act, Luna placed a hand over his and squeezed it reassuringly before removing it. She was still beaming.

They talked about work and other trivial matters for a few moments before George asked Luna the random question that had entered his mind.

"Why did you want to buy Instant Sunshine earlier?"

"Well, my mother used to give me sunshine in a pouch whenever it was raining. I've been saving it for a rainy day, she'd tell me. It didn't really serve for a magical purpose, it was more for comfort when I was stuck inside the house during those rainy days. I had hoped that Instant Sunshine would be a sufficient substitute because it's been cloudy these past few days. I find the lack of sun somewhat sad."

"The weather has been pretty dreadful, hasn't it?" George agreed.

"Oh yes," Luna nodded. "But I'm sure it'll clear up soon." Luna stood up from the booth and George followed her actions. "I should be going, I'll come by your store again soon to say hi. I still haven't bought Instant Sunshine. Not only does it bring comfort, but it apparently keeps nargles away as well."

George found himself smiling, even though he was bewildered for he had no idea what nargles were. George shook Luna's hand once again and thanked her for her company and advice before she Apparated to her home.

The next afternoon at work, before Angelina had even dropped by, Ron had given George a small pouch, that appeared to be a money sack although there was an odd bottle-shape pressed against it. Ron had told him that Luna had stopped by earlier while he was in the back helping Verity with a big order but had to rush because she needed to help out her father. George automatically placed the bottle of Instant Sunshine within his robe pockets, feeling gratitude towards Luna once again. George reminded himself to give Luna another Daydream Charm to show how appreciative he was the next time they decided to share a few drinks at the pub. Maybe next time, Angelina would be able to come with them.

-Fin-

A/N: Blah, that ending was horrible. I wasn't sure how else to end it though, I hope I didn't rush it too much. George probably seems OOC yes, but that's because I was trying to write his "I'm troubled and I need advice" side (I have no idea if there even is such a side to him. I made that up) so I was trying to stay true to his character. Who knows, if inspiration strikes again I'll probably write a follow up one-shot to this one, filled with pure George/Luna fluff. Thanks for reading everyone. Until next time!

"_Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose


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